English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology

Etymology — The origins of English words

Where do words come from? Trace the origin and history of any English word, from its Latin, Greek or Old English roots through to its modern meaning. Every etymology is sourced.

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From Middle English fydylstyk, ffidillstyke; equivalent to fiddle + stick.

From Middle Dutch fijnkens (“exactly; precisely”), from fijn (“fine”).

From fire + trap.

From Middle English forcastyng, forcastynge, equivalent to forecast + -ing.

From Italian Firenze. Doublet of Florence.

Borrowed from French fondu (“melted”). Compare fondue.

From fin + fish.

From Middle Dutch fletsen (“to flatter, fawn”). More at flatter.

From the substantivation of New Latin filtrātus (“filtered”) past perfect participle of filtrō (“to filter”). Equivalent to filter (the verb) + -ate (noun-forming suffix).

From Late Middle English frangible, frangibil, from Middle French frangible, or from Medieval Latin frangibilis, from Latin frangere (from frangō (“to break, shatter”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (“to break”)) + -ibilis (suffix forming adjectives indicating a capacity or worth of being acted upon).

1530s, from fore- + time.

Back-formation from flabby.

Probably from archaic Dutch vuisten (“to take into one’s hand”), from Middle Dutch vuysten, from vuyst (“fist”); akin to Old English fyst (“fist”).

From Middle English forstay, forstey, vorstey, equivalent to fore- + stay (“a stay, rope”).

From fouth (“abundance, fullness, plenty”) + -y.

Borrowed from Arabic فِتْنَة (fitna, “sedition, strife”).

From flag + stone.

From Middle English free holder, freholdere, equivalent to freehold + -er. Compare Old Northern French fraunc tenaunt.

From flash + -man.

From German Frankfurter, the demonym of Frankfurt. Specifically, a reference to Frankfurt-am-Main.

From flea + brain.

From Middle English flaun, flaon, flawn, from Old French flaon, from Late Latin fladonem, accusative of flado, from Frankish *flaþō. Doublet of flan, flathe, and flathon.

Inherited from Middle English forthbringen, from Old English forþbringan (“to bring forth, produce, bring to pass, accomplish, bring forward, adduce, quote”), from Proto-West Germanic *forþbringan (“to bring forth”); equivalent to forth- + bring. Cognate with Dutch voortbrengen (“to produce, generate, create”), German fortbringen (“to carry forth, carry away”).

From Latin flexil(em).